This invention relates to a watch or other device to be worn by an outdoorsman such as a skier, snowboarder, hunter or motorcyclist and, more particularly, to such devices to be worn in cold and inclement weather for ready observation of the device face.
Outdoorsmen such as skiers, snowboarders, hunters, or motorcyclists wear bulky gloves, and often need to wear watches and other devices such as altimeters and chronographs which provide information to the wearer. Conventional devices are worn on the wearer""s wrist beneath the wearer""s bulky glove. In this position, the device face is hidden from view and is not readily observable unless both hands are used to expose the face, requiring conscious attention by the wearer.
Several attempts have been developed to provide a watch for outdoorsmen with a watch having a face which is continuously observable. Examples of this are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,387,838 and 5,623,731, both of which require mounting as part of the glove and, thus, are not transferable to other gloves.
It would be desirable to provide a device which provides continuously viewable face that is mountable on a glove, but is transferable to other gloves.
Watches have been developed which, for the sake of styling, are worn on the back of the hand. Examples of these are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,628,278 and 5,779,113. In both patents, the watch is mounted on a cord and includes a clasp which must be manipulated to remove and mount the watch. Neither arrangement is suitable for glove mounting, since neither is sufficiently durable for all-weather use, nor is easily removable with a gloved hand.
It would be desirable to provide an all-weather device such as a watch which is readily mountable on and removable from an outdoorsman""s glove for continuous observance of its face.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an all-weather watch which is readily mountable on and removable from a skier""s glove for continuous observance of its face.
In one aspect, this invention features an all-weather device to be worn on the outside of one of the heavy-duty gloves of a glove wearer, such as a skier or snow boarder, in cold or inclement weather, said glove having fingers, thumb, body and wrist portions. The device preferably comprises a weatherproof device case having a face to display information, a front elastic strap extending from the case and stretching to loop about at least one glove finger, and a rear elastic strap extending from the case and stretching outwardly to loop about the glove wrist to position the device on the back of the glove. The rear strap is maintained in position by the stretching of the elastic strap, the friction between the strap and the glove and by the cinching action of the loop around the glove wrist. The device is readily removable from the glove by grasping the rear loop and stretching it to move over the glove body and thumb.
In another aspect, this invention features an all-weather watch to be worn on the outside of one of the heavy-duty gloves of a glove wearer, in cold or inclement weather, said glove having fingers, thumb, body and wrist portions. The watch comprises a weatherproof watch case having a face to display information, a length-adjustable elastic strap comprising a front strap portion extending from the case and stretching to loop about at least one glove finger, and a rear strap portion extending from the case and stretching outwardly to loop about the glove wrist to position the watch on the back of the glove. The rear strap portion is maintained in position by the stretching of the elastic strap, the friction between the strap and the glove and by the cinching action of the loop around the glove wrist, such that the watch is readily removable from the glove by grasping the rear loop and stretching it to move over the glove body and thumb.
These and other objects and features of this invention will become more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which: